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Phil Biggin

@philbiggin.bsky.social
879 followers 375 following 75 posts

Computational biochemist, interested in neuronal signalling at the atomic level and computer-aided drug design. All views my own. bigginlab.web.ox.ac.uk

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Phil Biggin @philbiggin.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Congratulations to Nithisher Mouroug Anand and @oxfordbiochemistry.bsky.social Part II Antonia Panescu and their work reporting on problems associated with ABFE calculations of membrane proteins (GPCRs). Take home message is that great care is still needed for ABFEs pubs.acs.org/jctcce/artic...
pubs.acs.org
Improving ABFE Calculations for GPCRs by Addressing Errors in Apo-State Representation
Abstract. Free energy perturbation (FEP) methods provide a robust computational framework for predicting protein-ligand binding affinities and have seen in
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Phil Biggin @philbiggin.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Congratulations to @jchvh.bsky.social as his part II simulation work in @oxfordbiochemistry.bsky.social appears, Carl's simulations nicely revealed the dynamic connection between binding and biased signalling in GPR84. www.nature.com/articles/s41.... With Russell, Tikhonova, Zhang and Milligan labs
nature.com
Steric control of signaling bias in the immunometabolic receptor GPR84 - Nature Communications
This study reveals how subtle changes in ligand structure control signaling bias at the immunometabolic receptor GPR84, providing structural details for the rational design of drugs with tailored sign...
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Phil Biggin @philbiggin.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Latest preprint where we pooled our sim experiences to create "MDArena" for AI agents trying to automate MD simulation and analysis. Great work led by Nithishwer Mouroug Anand and @weitse-hsu.bsky.social and thanks to all lab members! @oxfordbiochemistry.bsky.social arxiv.org/abs/2608.02642
arxiv.org
MDArena: Evaluating Coding Agents on Realistic Molecular Dynamics Workflows
Accelerating scientific discovery is among the most consequential applications of AI, and computational biomolecular simulation stands out as a particularly promising target within this broader effort...
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Peter Kenny @pwk2024.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Opportunity for computational chemist at Genentech (South San Francisco CA USA) #CompChem #cheminformatics #AI #ML #ChemJobs #chemsky 🧪 careers.gene.com/us/en/job/20...
careers.gene.com
Principal Scientist (Computational Chemistry) in South San Francisco, California, United States of America | Research & Development at Genentech
Apply for Principal Scientist (Computational Chemistry) job with Genentech in South San Francisco, California, United States of America. Research & Development at Genentech
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Phil Biggin @philbiggin.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Congratulations to Franco Viscarra with his collaborative contribution to PNAS , "A Cannabidiol-Sensitive Region Involved in the Allosteric Modulation of the α7 Nicotinic Receptor": www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2535398123 Nice combination of multiple techniques with Bouzat and Bermudez labs!
pnas.org
A cannabidiol-sensitive region involved in the allosteric modulation of the α7 nicotinic receptor | PNAS
Cannabidiol (CBD), a nonpsychoactive phytocannabinoid from Cannabis sativa, modulates the α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7 nAChR), a key tar...
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Derek Lowe @dereklowe.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
A fellow of the Royal Society slashed funding for disease prevention, leading directly to the deaths of uncounted children. He promotes white supremacy and is actively encouraging racist violence in the UK. But he's Elon Musk, a billionaire. So the Royal Society does nothing. @royalsociety.org
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Peter Kenny @pwk2024.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
Opportunity in 3D molecular modelling at Optibrium (UK) #CompChem #cheminformatics #UKChemJobs #ChemJobs #chemsky 🧪 optibrium.com/jobs/senior-...
optibrium.com
Senior or Principal Scientist – 3D Molecular Modelling
Founded in 2009 and headquartered in Cambridge, UK, Optibrium develops software and novel technologies to improve the efficiency and productivity of drug discovery. Our solutions support industry…
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Alan McNally @alanmcn1.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
E. coli ST131 is becoming carbapenem resistant. I suspect as CTX-M moves onto the chromosome and the F plasmid is lost facilitating acquisition of carbapenemase plasmids. No good can come of this
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Philip Fowler @philipwfowler.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
v2.0.0 of AMyGDA released AMyGDA segments images of M. tuberculosis growing on 96-well plates and measures MICs and growth. Developed during @crypticproject.info pypi.org/project/amyg...
pypi.org
amygda
Measure mycobacterial growth on antibiotic plates and infer MICs
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Phil Biggin @philbiggin.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
Congratulations to Bjarne Feddersen for his work on benchmarking umbrella sampling workflows for PMF calculations of membrane permeation! Systematic work that provides guidance on how to approach these to minimise compute resource. @oxfordbiochemistry.bsky.social. pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
pubs.acs.org
Umbrella Sampling Workflows for Fast-Converging PMF Calculations without Artificial WHAM Constraints
Umbrella sampling is a powerful tool to investigate the underlying free-energy landscapes that govern the permeation properties of small molecules through complex lipid bilayers. However, obtaining co...
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Chemistry World @chemistryworld.com · 01/05/2026
The antibody–drug conjugates created have shown promise in clinical trials to treat platinum-resistant ovarian cancer, while the other targets various solid tumour types. www.chemistryworld.com/news/basic-r...
chemistryworld.com
‘Basic research is needed more than anything else’
Christian Hackenberger, co-founder of Tubulis, is excited that his team's initial research is now creating clinical impact
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Oliver Beckstein [he/him] @orbeckst.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
Open position for Assistant Teaching Professor (non-tenure track) in the Department of Physics at Arizona State University in Tempe, AZ. apply.interfolio.com/185533 Deadline:June 1, 2026. Apply if you love teaching #physics & want to make a difference to a bright and diverse population of learners.
apply.interfolio.com
Apply - Interfolio {{$ctrl.$state.data.pageTitle}} - Apply - Interfolio
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Matthew Freeman @mjafreeman.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
Sorry for the cliché: not sure how to avoid it... I am very honoured to join such an illustrious list of previous winners And – of course – the credit largely belongs to the fabulous people I have been lucky enough to work with @dunnschool.bsky.social and earlier @mrclmb.ac.uk
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Phil Biggin @philbiggin.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
Congrats. - sounds cool!
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Vanni Lab at UNIFR, Switzerland @labvanni.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
Happy to share our latest work where @Jennifersapia.bsky.social teamed up with @veijosalo.bsky.social and Xuewu Sui from @tamu.bsky.social to combine simulations and experiments to investigate DGAT1-dependent triglyceride synthesis, revealing more roles for DAG than previously known….(1/3)
biorxiv.org
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Torsten Schwede @torstenschwede.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
Is #AI hitting a plateau in structure prediction? Help us find out at CASP17! 🧪🧬 Calling for Targets: Immune Complexes, protein - ligand complexes, RNA/DNA, conformational ensembles, membrane proteins, viral origins, and large complexes. The Rule of Thumb: If AF3 can’t model it, we want it.
The Critical Assessment of Structure Prediction (CASP) experiment is calling for prediction targets: Immune Complexes, Organic Ligand-Protein Complexes, Nucleic Acids and Complexes, Conformational Ensembles, Difficult Protein Structures and Complexes. 
Rule of Thumb: If AlphaFold3 can generate a high-quality model, it is likely not a CASP-grade challenge. If it struggles, we want it.
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Clinton Lau @ckylau.bsky.social · 30/03/2026
Check out our first lab preprint: A real team effort to understand the Plasmodium GAPM proteins, which form part of a essential bridge between the parasite's cytoskeleton and motility apparatus. Below is a sneak peek of some beautiful microscopy - light and electron! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
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Marc van der Kamp @marcvanderkamp.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
Registration is open for the #CCPBioSim Annual Conference, 6-8 July, Bristol, UK! See: www.ccpbiosim.ac.uk/bristol2026 Delighted to be hosting the conference @bristoluni.bsky.social, with the theme "Biomolecular simulation across scales, for understanding and design" #compchem #compbio #biodesign
ccpbiosim.ac.uk
CCPBioSim Annual Conference
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EMBL-EBI @ebi.embl.org · 16/03/2026
You asked, we listened. Millions of AI-predicted protein complex structures are now available in the #AlphaFold Database. This spans homodimers from 20 of the most studied species, including humans, as well as the World Health Organization’s priority pathogens list. www.ebi.ac.uk/about/news/t...
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Phil Biggin @philbiggin.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
Happy to see our work on SLCO2A1 with @smlea.bsky.social, Nakanishi and Newstead labs out now. Important insight into how prostaglandin and many drugs are transported. Hats off to @weitse-hsu.bsky.social for computational work! @oxfordbiochemistry.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Structural basis for prostaglandin and drug transport via SLCO2A1
Nature Communications - SLCO2A1 (also known as OATP2A1) is responsible for the transport of eicosanoids, including prostaglandins (PGs), as well as of a subset of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory...
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Phil Biggin @philbiggin.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
To think, at one point fairly recently, it wasn't even clear, thanks to government indecision, if the UK would have a supercomputer - here is some evidence that it's not only a good scientific investment, but also a good economic one. Great job @epcc.bsky.social !
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Tomoaki Sobajima @tomogolgier.bsky.social · 24/06/2025
Huge thanks to members of the Barr Lab, EMBOJ Editor Hartmut @hvodermaier.bsky.social and all reviewers!
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Phil Biggin @philbiggin.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
Finally, the fully-typeset version of @haroldgrosjean.bsky.social's review "Developments and challenges in hit progression within fragment-based drug discovery" is online www.nature.com/articles/s41.... Congratulations Harold! @oxfordbiochemistry.bsky.social
nature.com
Developments and challenges in hit progression within fragment-based drug discovery - Nature Communications
This review maps key bottlenecks in turning fragment hits into lead compounds and highlights emerging solutions: integrated Design-Make-Test cycles, high-throughput assays, automation and modelling to...
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OxfordDPAG @oxforddpag.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
www.dpag.ox.ac.uk/news/profess...
dpag.ox.ac.uk
Professor Ana Domingos joins one of five Global Teams Awarded $125 Million to take on the toughest challenges at the frontiers of cancer science
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Fragment-Screen @fragment-screen.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
The Fragment-Screen Pilot Access Call is open! Access the new technologies developed in the project for fragment-based drug discovery - collect data and contribute to the continued development of fragment screening research. Find out more and apply here - apply.fragmentscreen.org/submit-call/...
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Phil Biggin @philbiggin.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
This sounds like a step in the right direction. www.ft.com/content/89ba...
ft.com
Home Office advisers launch review of UK visas to attract top talent
Study by independent committee announced as concerns grow that immigration crackdown will hit fiscal plans
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Lorraine Reese @lorraine-reese.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
There are still a few places left for the 7th UK Workshop on Membrane #Proteins! Join us from 15-17 April at Aston University to understand the basics of membrane protein purification using cutting edge methods 🧪 ow.ly/rx0B50YbAUt
In-person training. 7th UK Workshop on Membrane Proteins. Birmingham, UK. 15-17 April 2026.

Includes Biochemical Society logo, image of scientists in lab coats, in a lab, and event logo.
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BioExcel CoE @bioexcelcoe.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
If you are a #GROMACS user and/or interested in #moleculardynamics simulations join us next week for our "What's new in GROMACS 2026.0" #webinar 🗓️ 3 March 2026, 15:00 CET ✍️ bioexcel.eu/cpok @gromacs.bsky.social
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Phil Biggin @philbiggin.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
Cool opportunity here!
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Phil Biggin @philbiggin.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
Great to see this paper out with @profkalium.bsky.social - with MD from David Seiferth. GqPCR inhibition inversely correlates with channel open probability, and results from a state-dependent destabilisation of the open state by DAG promoting channel closure. link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com
Structural determinants for GPCR-mediated inhibition of TASK K2P channels by diacylglycerol and its dysfunction in disease - The EMBO Journal
Two-Pore Domain K+ (K2P) channels are crucial determinants of the resting membrane potential and of cellular electrical excitability in many different cell types. TASK-1 and TASK-3 K2P channel activit...
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Phil Biggin @philbiggin.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
Absolutely brilliant!
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Syma Khalid @sykhalid.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
Come work with Ben Berks FRS in Oxford 2 x PDRA posts: Molecular Analysis of Bacterial Outer Membrane Protein Biogenesis 2 complementary projects investigating bacterial outer membrane protein biogenesis. Building on our recent work (Nature (2015) 647: 479-487) my.corehr.com/pls/uoxrecru...
my.corehr.com
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Elliott Lab @elliottlab.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
Excited to share our work into ubiquitin E1-E2 specificity mechanisms. CryoEM visualising #ubiquitin transfer,biochemistry,evolution @labhofmann.bsky.social & tissue expression analyses @psarkies.bsky.social Big thanks to the team,reviewers & handling editor @dimitristypas.bsky.social rdcu.be/eTRdR
rdcu.be
UBA6 specificity for ubiquitin E2 conjugating enzymes reveals a priority mechanism of BIRC6
Nature Structural & Molecular Biology - Riechmann et al. uncover structural features governing ubiquitin transfer from ubiquitin-activating E1 enzymes UBA1 and UBA6 to specific E2...
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Beatrix Goggin @beatrixgoggin.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
This is SO COOL!!! academic.oup.com/bioinformati...
academic.oup.com
The Lipid Interactome: an interactive and open access platform for exploring cellular lipid–protein interactions
AbstractSummary. Lipid–protein interactions play essential roles in cellular signaling and membrane dynamics, yet their systematic characterization has lon
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MDAnalysis @mdanalysis.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
MDAnalysis is participating in #GSoC 2026! 👉 Read our blog post for details on how you can apply to work with MDAnalysis through GSoC: www.mdanalysis.org/2026/02/19/g... 🗓️ Pre-proposals must be submitted by March 9. ❗For transparency and fairness, use public forums for all #GSoC communications.
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Phil Biggin @philbiggin.bsky.social · 22/02/2026
Congratulations!
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Nature Computational Science @natcomputsci.nature.com · 17/02/2026
📢Out now! Work from @chipotlab.bsky.social and colleagues presents a method that learns from atomic motion without the need for handcrafted descriptors, allowing for accurate kinetics and atom-level insights. www.nature.com/articles/s43... 🔓 rdcu.be/e4p3B
nature.com
Learning the committor without collective variables - Nature Computational Science
By learning directly from atomic motion, without the need for handcrafted descriptors, a graph neural network reveals how molecular systems change state, delivering accurate kinetics and atom-level in...
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CompBioPhys @compbiophys.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
🧐 Who will be presenting their #research projects during the upcoming #Theory #workshop in #Hünfeld? ⏩ Take a look at the program and list of #speakers. www.mpinat.mpg.de/workshop/hue... #Registration for 🖥️ online only participation is still open...
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Winfried Ripken @winfried-ripken.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
Ever get tired of tiny timesteps bottlenecking your MD simulations? We show how to train a model for large-timestep Hamiltonian dynamics directly on standard MLFF datasets. 𝗡𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀, 𝗻𝗼 𝘂𝗻𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗻𝗼 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿 needed! 🧵👇
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eLife @elife.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
Insights from aquaporin structures into drug-resistant sleeping sickness. 🔗 buff.ly/Y0A47zR
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BioExcel CoE @bioexcelcoe.bsky.social · 16/02/2026
⏰ Don't forget to register for our #webinar tomorrow, 17 February 2026, 15:00 CET ✍️ bioexcel.eu/7c2s "From quick script to reproducible workflow" #molecularsimulations #workflows #FAIR #SoftwareEngineering @coderefinery.org
bioexcel.eu
Webinar: From Quick Script to Reproducible Workflow: Small Research Software Engineering Habits, Big Impact (2026-02-17)
Date: 17 February 2026 Time: 15:00 CET Registration Abstract Reproducible analysis pipelines sound great in theory, but what does that look like in the life of a busy researcher doing biomolecular sy...
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Biophysical Journal @biophysj.bsky.social · 16/02/2026
#OPENACCESS: Molecular dynamics simulations reveal DNA gate opening mechanisms for M. smegmatis topoisomerase 1A. Deepesh Sigdel and Maria Mills. buff.ly/GZXDTzi
buff.ly
Molecular dynamics simulations reveal DNA gate opening mechanisms for M. smegmatis topoisomerase 1A
Type 1A topoisomerases relax torsional strain in DNA via a strand passage mechanism in which a protein-mediated DNA gate must open during the enzyme’s catalytic cycle. This gate-open conformational…
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Structural Bioinformatics & Network Biology Lab @sbnblab.bsky.social · 16/02/2026
🚀 JOB OPPORTUNITY: Research Associate in GenAI applied to Drug Discovery! 🧬 Full details: recruitment.irbbarcelona.org/jobs/6928145...
recruitment.irbbarcelona.org
Research Associate on genAI applied to drug discovery (ref. PD/25/23) - IRB Barcelona
IRB Barcelona is seeking a talented and highly motivated Research Associate to join the Structural Bioinformatics and Network Biology group (https://sbnb.irbbarcelona.org), led by Dr. Patrick Aloy,...
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Susan Weatherby @susanfjw.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
There's still time to make a 16 February poster abstract deadline for the Molecular and ion flows #FaradayDiscussion, Manchester, 13-15 April 2026. Poster presenters can expect lively discussions, networking, and a collaborative atmosphere where every delegate can contribute. #ChemSky #Nanofluidics
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pjballester.bsky.social @pjballester.bsky.social · 16/02/2026
Our new preprint. First prospective use of a transformer model for drug repurposing against Streptococcus pneumoniae, a major AMR threat. Great collaboration with Nick Croucher’s lab. Of 11 tested, 9 showed strong activity, some against multidrug‑resistant strains. #AI #AMR
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Roland Dunbrack 🏳️‍🌈 @rolanddunbrack.bsky.social · 14/02/2026
Second time this month I've encountered a paper on MD simulations of protein kinases with no coordinates from the trajectory provided. I'd like a few snapshots or cluster centroids. Something. Makes these papers essentially useless.
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Phil Biggin @philbiggin.bsky.social · 14/02/2026
Check out our latest paper on the glycine receptor with @chakrapanilab.bsky.social where we show the interplay between the orthosteric and allosteric binding sites. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
science.org
Structural basis for domain coupling in heteromeric glycine receptors revealed by an atypical allosteric agonist
Counteracting ligands stabilize glycine receptor states revealing mechanisms of pentameric ligand-gated channel allostery.
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Chemjobber @chemjobber.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
Takeda (Boston, MA) looking for Associate Director, Computational Chemistry, (PhD, 7+ yrs exp): jobs.takeda.com/job/boston/a... #chemjobs #compchem (position pretty old, Nov 2025 posting)
jobs.takeda.com
Associate Director, Computational Chemistry at Takeda Pharmaceutical
Learn more about applying for Associate Director, Computational Chemistry at Takeda Pharmaceutical
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Matthieu Chavent @matthchavent.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
Happy that simulations, performed by Gabriel Diaz, stellar master student in the team, helped to decipher how PIP2 lipids help recruiting Munc13 protein to prime synaptic vesicle Collaborative work led by F. Pincet @normalesup.bsky.social full story at @pnas.org : www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
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